Bcmtians,
We had the opportunity to "sail" on both the available private options for journey from Port Blair to Havelock & Neil Islands. here goes a short review
Makruzz (shot by wife from her cell)
Coastal Cruise
Booking & Rescheduling Process
We booked Makruzz through our resort at Havelock. Extra charges were only Rs 200/- for onward and return journey. Spoke to Makruzz people directly for inquiring about rescheduling in case of flight delay. Was informed that rescheduling was permitted upto 2 hours before departure subject to seats availability. Charges - INR 105/- per person. However, don't expect them to pick up your phone at 5 Am in the morning. So we sent them a mail and called them as soon as we landed at Port Blair (0745 am & ship departs at 0815 am). Rescheduling was done without much ado
Coastal Cruise was even better - we booked on Phone just one day before without making any payment. Landed at the jetty next day and paid before boarding. Absolutely no issues faced
Those who are not taking packages through tour operators can get bookings done by calling or mailing them up. Do get sailing schedule confirmation by phone before booking in advance and don't just go by details given in their website.
Seating
Both Makruzz & Coastal have seating on two decks. Upper deck seating costs more. Views from Makruzz's upper deck are not good as some cylinder like structures (lifeboats?) cause obstruction. Coastal's upper deck is ok.
That said, upper deck seating has one major disadvantage - rolling and pitching is more, especially in case the seas are rough. While on our trip back from Havelock, we were asked by Makruzz crew to come down to lower deck as seas were very rough due to cyclonic weather.
I found Makruzz seating to be better than Coastal, maybe because Maruzz is a newer ship and Coastal is refurbished 1995 made ship.
Ride / Sail Quality
I found Makruzz rolling and pitching more, maybe because higher speeds are maintained. During our way back from Havelock, the sea was very rough and Makruzz was rocking like a raft, with every other person puking. As told by a local, Makruzz is a very light catamaran, hence it rolls more even in slightest wind. Don't get me wrong - there is absolutely no danger of flipping over, but the body roll can get lot of people worried. By the way, I and wifey had a cup of coffee standing at the snack counter when everyone around was puking - so it all depends on how well you can tolerate the roll
Coastal on the other hand was more stable, especially as the captain deliberately brought down the speed whenever the sea's went choppy. It took more time, and people were cribbing about speed being equivalent to government ships. However, better slow than getting sea sick.
Will be happy to answer any specific questions.
We had the opportunity to "sail" on both the available private options for journey from Port Blair to Havelock & Neil Islands. here goes a short review
Makruzz (shot by wife from her cell)
Coastal Cruise
Booking & Rescheduling Process
We booked Makruzz through our resort at Havelock. Extra charges were only Rs 200/- for onward and return journey. Spoke to Makruzz people directly for inquiring about rescheduling in case of flight delay. Was informed that rescheduling was permitted upto 2 hours before departure subject to seats availability. Charges - INR 105/- per person. However, don't expect them to pick up your phone at 5 Am in the morning. So we sent them a mail and called them as soon as we landed at Port Blair (0745 am & ship departs at 0815 am). Rescheduling was done without much ado
Coastal Cruise was even better - we booked on Phone just one day before without making any payment. Landed at the jetty next day and paid before boarding. Absolutely no issues faced
Those who are not taking packages through tour operators can get bookings done by calling or mailing them up. Do get sailing schedule confirmation by phone before booking in advance and don't just go by details given in their website.
Seating
Both Makruzz & Coastal have seating on two decks. Upper deck seating costs more. Views from Makruzz's upper deck are not good as some cylinder like structures (lifeboats?) cause obstruction. Coastal's upper deck is ok.
That said, upper deck seating has one major disadvantage - rolling and pitching is more, especially in case the seas are rough. While on our trip back from Havelock, we were asked by Makruzz crew to come down to lower deck as seas were very rough due to cyclonic weather.
I found Makruzz seating to be better than Coastal, maybe because Maruzz is a newer ship and Coastal is refurbished 1995 made ship.
Ride / Sail Quality
I found Makruzz rolling and pitching more, maybe because higher speeds are maintained. During our way back from Havelock, the sea was very rough and Makruzz was rocking like a raft, with every other person puking. As told by a local, Makruzz is a very light catamaran, hence it rolls more even in slightest wind. Don't get me wrong - there is absolutely no danger of flipping over, but the body roll can get lot of people worried. By the way, I and wifey had a cup of coffee standing at the snack counter when everyone around was puking - so it all depends on how well you can tolerate the roll
Coastal on the other hand was more stable, especially as the captain deliberately brought down the speed whenever the sea's went choppy. It took more time, and people were cribbing about speed being equivalent to government ships. However, better slow than getting sea sick.
Will be happy to answer any specific questions.
